1. Field of Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to antenna arrays and, in particular, antenna composed of elements fabricated using surface mount technology.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional designs for wideband Electronically Scanned Arrays (ESAs) are heavy and costly because of the number of connectors and cables utilized to assemble the antenna elements into an integrated array. Traditional dual-polarization wideband ESA designs are based on Vivaldi antenna element constructed in an egg-crate configuration. These designs are complex to manufacture and include a connector for each antenna element.
Conventional ESAs generally have a planar configuration and do not provide field of view (FOV) with a significant fraction of the maximum gain available at low elevation angles. This is a significant disadvantage for a ground-based system communicating with aircraft flying overhead or an orbital system communicating with ground-based systems. For example, a conventional ESA pointed straight up, i.e. at a 90° elevation angle, requires an increase in signal strength of 6 dB to reach an aircraft at an elevation of 30° compared to the signal strength required to reach the same aircraft when directly overhead.